Where His Heart Lies
by Carrot The LuvMachine
Summary: As she waited for him, he journied back to her. Sacrafice meant nothing to him, as long as he would be able to return to where he belonged. When they finally meet, she will find out where his heart lies. EdwardxWinry.


**Where His Heart Lies  
**

_Chapter One_

_Darkness. It was all around him, engulfing him, silencing his cries, and swallowing him up. He struggled to open his eyes, hoping that the light would seep through, but to no avail. He felt like he was suffocating. He couldn't hear himself breathing, had he died? No, he hadn't died...or maybe he had, if that's what happened to people who passed through the Gate, then yes, he was dead. The silence became eerily calm, and it seemed to balance out his nerves._

_Why couldn't he see? Where was he? Thinking hard, memories came pouring into his mind. He had fulfilled his dream of making his little brother whole again, and in return, the Gate had taken him. But what now? How was he supposed to get home? Was returning even an option? He squinted into the darkness, trying to find even the slightest bit of light, for where there is light there is hope..._

-----

_It seemed he had been running forever. Running toward an unreachable goal. It was hard to stop, but once he did, it seemed like all his life-functions had stopped as well. Rain poured down upon him, soaking his hair, and creating mud beneath his feet._

_His brother had disappeared. He wasn't able to pull him out._

_Edward was gone..._

_"Brother..." the young ten year old boy dropped to his knees, mud splashing up into his face. He gripped the watery substance as best he could, hoping for support. He bit back tears for as long as he could, until they finally came spilling out. "BROTHER!"_

-----

_She was watching from the window, her hands pressed against the glass covering his image. Alphonse was out in the rain, sobbing hysterically at the loss of his brother, and she stood at a distance, not wanting to accept the truth. Her hand made it's way to her chin, where it balled into a fist, and she choked out a sob. That was when the tears came, pouring from her eyes like fountains. With the tears came all the memories of him, from childhood up until a moment ago. He was her reason for living. Every day of her life was spent waiting for him, but what now? Where had he gone?_

_As frantic as her mind might have been, it was still able to process the fact that Alphonse wasn't alright. Throwing her coat on, she opened the door and ran out, not even bothering to close the door after her. She sprinted into the rain, nearly slipping on the wet ground, until she came to his fallen figure. He had a body again, a child's body. The auburn hair that she had known as a child had returned, along with the large chestnut eyes and sensative emotions._

_Without a moment's hesitation, Winry took Alphonse into her arms, embracing him in a tight hug. Both their worlds had ended that night, and from then on, they would wait for him, hope he survived, and try to find a way to bring him back._

-Present Day-

Winry's eyes fluttered open that morning just like any other. Moving her beloved wrench aside, she stretched before sitting up to greet the morning light. She smiled at the sun that poured in through her open window. 'Maybe today will be the day...'

Five years and counting. That was how long she'd been waiting for his arrival, if he was even coming back. She turned to the wrench beside her and picked it up. It glistened in her grip as thoughts ran through her mind. 'The second he comes back, he's getting a wrench to the head.' A sly smile crept it's way onto her face. She wouldn't hesitate for a second to chuck her wrench at his head, he deserved it after what he'd done to her. 'Damn you, Edward Elric. Keeping me waiting for five years! You deserve MORE than just a wrench to the head!'

Despite her angery thoughts, she knew that where ever Edward was, he was making a powerful attempt to get back to Resembool. He would come back to see his little brother, she knew. He was too stubborn to be trapped in a parallel dimension for too long. He'd find a way out, he'd make his way back to her, and then...and, then? What would happen then?

'I'd tell him my feelings?...' She shook her head, sighing deeply. She felt her cheeks growing warm at the mere mention of her feelings for Edward. 'Don't let him get you down, Winry!' she scolded herself. 'Worry about it when the time comes. For now, worry about breakfast!' Nodding to herself, she got up from her bed and crossed the room where she threw her robe on. Den sat by the doorway, wagging his tail when he saw her coming. He had aged a lot in five years. The poor dog's white hair had turned a dull grey, but even with the grey hair he still had the pep he always had. He got up from the floor and walked over to Winry, nudging her leg with his snout.

"Morning, Den." Winry smiled, bending down to pet him on the head. "Did you sleep well?"

Den tilted his head, as if to say 'I don't understand you...I'm a DOG.'

Winry let out another sigh. "Why do I always expect you to answer me?" She had been speaking to Den more and more as the years went by. It might have been because Pinako was more busy now a days. Alphonse wasn't around much, seeing as he was enrolled in the military as a State Alchemist. That left Winry and Den alone most of the time. They would go on walks to the river and visit all the places that Edward once loved, and Winry would tell stories, going over every little detail about the last time she was at that certain place with him. Although Den would never speak back, he was good company because he had no choice but to listen to what she had to say. 'And like some people, he doesn't make smart remarks when I speak.'

"C'mon, Den, let's go help Al with breakfast!"

-----

Alphonse stood over the stove, cracking eggs into a frying pan. He was usually stuck making breakfast, since he was always the first one up in the morning, but he never cared much. He enjoyed doing things for Pinako and Winry. They were his family, and any little thing he did for them would make them happy.

"Eggs and bacon this morning?" Winry asked, hanging over Al's shoulder as he cooked. She had to stand on her tip toes, her nose just coming up to his shoulders, she could barely see what he was doing. 'Man, he's gotten tall!'

"Yup!" Alphonse replied, scrambling up the eggs with a fork. "Did you sleep well, Winry?"

Winry turned around to set the table as she spoke, "Yeah, I had another dream about him though."

Alphonse frowned as he poured the eggs onto a giant dish. Winry hadn't gone a day without dreaming of Edward, and it pained him. He wished he could dream about his brother, even a little bit. But with the memories he had of him being from so long ago, it was like watching a dark screen and listening to a very faded voice. He couldn't remember much of what his brother looked like, but Winry told him that Ed hadn't matured too much in the four years of their search for the stone. Alphonse could believe this, his brother was short afterall. 'He probably heard that, where ever he is.' An image of his brother's screaming figure appeared in his mind, and he snickered.

During breakfast, Winry went on to tell Alphonse about her dream. She was standing by the riverbank, staring at the water, when she saw his reflection. She turned around, but no one was there. It was as if she was seeing things, or maybe it was a mirage. Her dreams would often happen this way. She would be in some place serene and familiar, and he would appear, but when she tried to reach out to him he would vanish.

"I feel like I'll never catch up to him." Winry concluded.

"Brother will find a way back," Al replied, getting up from his seat at the table. "We'll catch up to him, don't worry, Winry."

Winry stared down at her half-eaten breakfast and smiled to herself. After all he'd gone through, Al was still so optimistic. 'Because he doesn't remember all the suffering...'

"Winry?"

"Hmm?" Winry lifted her head up and saw that Alphonse was tugging his coat on.

"We're short on ingrediants for dinner tonight," Al started, fixing his red coat. "I'm gonna go down to the market, do you wanna come?"

Winry smiled. He was wearing Ed's old clothes, or, at least, he was wearing the coat. Winry had to make him new pants and a new shirt, since Edward's old one's were a few sizes too small. "I think I'll wait here and see if Granny needs any help."

Al nodded and walked to the door. "See you later then!"

Winry waved to him as he shut the door. To be truthful, she wasn't about to go and see if her grandmother needed help. She was feeling a bit down today, and didn't want to be around people. She felt badly for leaving Al with no one to keep him company, but sometimes it was better for them to be apart. It gave them time to think, which was what she needed.

-----

A young man stood at Central Train Station, his hands shoved in his pockets, and annoyed look on his face. The train was a half hour late, it was getting dark out, and his stomach was growling. Nothing ticked him off more than hearing his stomach growl, except for when people called him short.

A strong wind blew, tossing his long ponytail over his shoulder and blowing it into his face. Pulling his left hand from his pocket, he pushed his hair back just as a train whistle sounded in the distance. 'Finally...'

A bright light shinned through the dark sky, and in seconds the train was stopped in front of him. Climbing aboard into one of the cars, he strolled down the aisles until he found a seat in the far back. No one was likely to see him there, since the train didn't have electricity. He could only imagine what trouble would come from someone recognizing him. He was rumored to be dead, afterall. Even though he's pulled off far trickier stunts, it was still odd for someone to appear after being lost for so long.

Pulling his trenchcoat tighter around himself, he tried to hide himself as best he could. There he sat, at the back of the dark train, watching the other passengers get onboard. His stomach had growled five more times before the train finally began to move. He wished he had enough money to grab a bite to eat. But he had nothing left to sell to get money. He had already given away his scarf, and in the winter, he would need his coat to protect him from the cold. Using the money he got from selling his scarf, he was able to buy a train ticket and spare himself a long walk back to Risembool.

Risembool. His hometown. He had to admit, he missed it more than he ever had before. Because now, he finally had a reason to stay there. He was sure his brother was there, and Winry, and auntie Pinako. Having no money and no home, the Rockbell residence was the only place he could flee to. Of course, even the people he would face were sure to be shocked by his return. He readied himself for Winry's wrench even as he sat on the train. Freakishly, he missed being hit by the wrench. Only because she was the one who hit him, of course.

'I can't even remember the last time I was hit...' His memories all seemed faded. As if his life in this world never existed. 'This is where I belong...'

-----

Alphonse struggled with the groceries as he walked through the town of Resembool. He, of course, had gone overboard and bought some dessert for Winry, auntie Pinako, and himself, feeling it was a generous thing to do. 'They have put up with me for long this time. This outta make up for it!'

It was getting really dark out, but Al knew that Winry would flash the light for him. She always did, even though she knew that he wasn't going to leave for good. He always came back even if it wasn't because the light drew him there. 'Brother and I always used to follow that light...We would stay out late, and Winry would tell us that dinner was ready by flashing it. We'd challenge each other to see who would get there faster. I always won, even though brother may have let me win on purpose.' Alphonse smiled. He missed his childhood very much. He wished he could remember his journey to find the stone, but Winry said it was better that he forgot. To Al, it felt like a gigantic piece of his life had been taken away. 'If I knew what happened on those journies, I would have more memories of Ed...'

Unfortunately, in all his thinking, he forgot to look where he was going. His foot caught around a tree root, and he quickly grabbed a hold of the trunk of the tree to keep from falling. Luckily, he'd managed to stop the grocery bag from falling as well, he grinned as he straightened up. Pulling his shoe loose from under the root, he looked foward. The Rockbell house stood before him, the light on the second story flashing. Something else was there too. Al had to squint to finally see that it was a person. 'Someone coming to pick up automail, maybe?' Shrugging, he quickened his pace, wanting to catch up to the stranger to see who it was.

As he got closer, he saw that the person was around his age. A pony tail of long blonde hair hung from his head, and he wore a brown trenchcoat. Other than that, Al couldn't make out who the person was. By the way the person was walking, Al could tell that it wasn't someone who had lost a limb. 'It can't be an automail customer then...' For whatever reason, his heart began beating faster and his pace quickened. Once the stranger stepped into the light that was coming from the house, he noticed that he was being followed, and whirled around. At this point, Al was close enough to make out his facial features.

Yellow-golden eyes met deep brown, and Alphonse instantly dropped the bag he was carrying. His eyes went wide, and he felt his hands start to shake. His heart was beating so fast, he couldn't control it. Was he seeing things?...

"Nii-san..."

-Author's Corner-

Hiya! Alright, I know I just started that other FMA story...But now I have 4 going. Yeah, I have a one-shot that won't be posted for a while, cause I'm stuck...

I have a plot for this one, and I might remove my other one because it's...cheesey...This will be better, I promise!

Please review if you can, it really helps me get through! Arigatougozimasu!

-Colie-chan


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